1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for monitoring the use of computer programs and more particularly monitoring frequency of use of a variety of computer programs and software products.
2. Related Prior Art
Much of the software used on mainframe computers, minicomputers, work stations, and personal computers consists of proprietary software licensed from software vendors. Like book publishers, many software vendors retain the copyright on their products, and a software product license usually restricts the licensee's use of the product in several ways.
Software products are usually obtained under a perpetual license, which is equivalent to buying a copy of a book. However, software products are sometimes available on a renewable basis, which is equivalent to borrowing a book from a rental library. Software products are often licensed for use on particular computers, as determined by their serial number, and/or for a maximum number of concurrent users. Upgrades, e.g., new versions of software products, may be periodically obtained. Many vendors, especially those of mainframe and minicomputer software, offer annual subscriptions to technical support services and product upgrades. These annual subscriptions are usually called "maintenance agreements". Vendors that do not offer subscriptions to such services usually offer product upgrades at extra costs.
For almost every installation, use of computer storage space is a major cost and a major concern. A significant amount of such storage space can be wasted by unused or under-used software products, obsolete versions of software products, and duplicate copies of software products.
In some cases, an installation may wish to restrict the use of particular software products to particular users, or to charge users for their use of particular products. An installation may wish to vary the charge for particular products based on when the products are used.
Managing and controlling the use of software products can be quite burdensome, especially for larger computer installations, and can have significant financial implications.
Several major concerns in controlling software products at an installation may occur. For example, concern over what software products are installed and where they are stored may come up. Also, whether there are duplicate copies of products and where are they located may be of concern. Questions concerning how much each software product being used, by whom and when may be important. Whether any software products are being used on a computer system for which they are not licensed is always a concern. Also of importance for licensed software is whether any software products are being used concurrently by more users than the number for which they are licensed. A question of importance to the licensee is whether any software products are being used by unauthorized users. From a maintenance point of view, it is important to know whether older versions of software products are still installed and whether they are still being used and by whom.
Once installed on a computer system, a software product consists primarily of a number of executable files known as programs, as well as possibly a number of non-executable files, such as data bases, profiles, etc. Whether executable or non-executable, files are identified by name along with other attributes, which are usually stored in the "table of contents" or "directory" of a storage device.
A number of products presently exist that inventory the software products that have been installed on a computer system. Such products typically have a data base that relates executable or non-executable file names to the product they came from. Such an inventorying product can survey the files on storage devices at an installation, identify the computer products to which they belong, and report what products are installed on the system in terms that users can understand.
Other products exist that provide job accounting functions, for example IBM SMF. Such products detect some forms of invocation of programs (e.g. jobs or job steps), and write records detailing such invocations.
Still other products exist that monitor usage of products that have been specifically written or modified to co-operate, and permit such monitoring by the monitoring product. Typically, the co-operating program would require code or a specialized module included within itself to "call" or "alert" the monitoring program to the fact that the co-operating program was invoked. In other words, the co-operating program must be modified to "inform" the monitoring program when the co-operating program is invoked. Such a monitoring product can then be used to ensure compliance with license conditions, such as number of concurrent usage.
Still other products exist that scan files for one or more specified unique sequences, e.g. text strings, and reporting back which files contain the sequence. In some of these products, if the sequence is found, the product can display the contents of the file surrounding the sequence.
The prior art does not allow an installation to automatically determine what products are being used without cooperation of the products being monitored and no matter how these products are invoked. Further, nothing in the art allows an installation to determine the library accessed or user or job accessing the products without cooperation from the products being monitored and no matter how the products are invoked.
The prior art has also not provided a means for automatically relating software inventory information to module usage information. In essence, the prior art has not provided a means for relating the modules that are used with the products they are associated with.
Furthermore, prior art has not provided a process by which information could be derived from modules at the installation that would help the installation determine the vendor and/or product of modules not already listed in a knowledge base.